June 1967 Mary Hyre's Letters To John Keel
A Letter from Mary Hyre, June 2, 1967 Mary Hyre was a reporter in Point Pleasant WV who kept author John Keel up to date on Mothman and UFO reports; The Mothman Prophecies is dedicated to her). This letter reports on three UFO sightings, including one of hers, and an odd dream. The following is the June 2nd 1967 letter transcribed into a digital text format with typing errors fixed: Point Pleasant June 2, 1967 Dear John: Well things are really happening here again. Last night about 11 p.m. I heard this noise of someone coming up on my porch with a girl saying "Mary come here quickly" it was Brenda. She said there is a ufo right here near your house. I rushed out and there was the outline of it and it looked like it a had a something like a stove pipe on the top of it. We watched it for a few minutes and it was in the west near my house and very low. Then we heard the sound of a plane coming from the east and soon saw it come in sight and when we heard the sound this thing disappeared or turned of its light instantly. I heard planes going every way for an hour more after that and there isn't any scheduled at that time that just keeps flying over the area and what they were doing I don't know. But this thing is just like the one I told you about seeing on 22nd street that followed me home. The kids Brenda, Linda and another girl were stopped just north of the city limits on Route 62 talking with some other kids when this thing came at them and nearly frightened them out of their pants. They came to the drive-in and then went back and it appeared again and then they rushed back to my house to tell me. Also this week on Wednesday the police got a call from a woman in the Jerry's run area that a plane had crashed on a hill near them the night before and them wanted to come investigate it..I don't think she had a phone to call when it happened. The sheriff and the state police went to the area and could not find a thing nor were there any scheduled flights plane lost or missing. They said the people in that area said they heard this whistling sound then seen this big bright flash and that was all that happened. I bet it was a ufo landing, don't you, in the first place a plane doesn't make a whistling sound and also not a sudden big light flash. By air this hill wouldn't be too far from the Gallipolis sight and also the area isn't too far from where we went to get the ufo grass from those people. By air where they live also would be close to the ufo sighting place at Gallipolis ferry. I am sure you will send the little red wagon for me when I tell you this, but at least I told Mabel my dream before it came true.. I was beginning to think maybe I was having illusions, but I really knew that I would wake up something crying and very excited and then I was sure that I had dreamed it. As I have told you I have dreamed several times of being taken up in a ufo.. well this one time I dreamed that I told this man that I was afraid to go as I might have another heart attack or blood pressure would go up and cause me to have one..in my dream he told me that it wouldn't happen that when I went back for my check I was going to be better. Wednesday I went for my checkup and the doctor always tells me what my blood pressure is and he said Mary what in the world has happened to you your blood pressure is down to normal and my blood sugar usually stayed around 140 which was not alarming, but 115 is normal and this time it was 94 and I know I looked at him like I was shot, I ask him what caused the sudden change, because this has been going on since my fathers sudden death ten years ago and I have taken the same medicine since that time and haven't changed it.. he said he didn't know. I am sure I haven't been in a ufo, but it seems strange that would happen after all these years, maybe they are after me and trying to kill me off, although this is good news. The doctor was happy for me. I almost told him about my dream, but didn't I was afraid he would throw me out. I ? the ? I will ? with the ?. Don't write anything about this.... I will tell my doctor the next time I go back. Sincerely, Mary A Letter from Mary Hyre, June 6, 1967 This next letter is mostly bits of Mary’s life: a school board meeting and a proposed road trip with a friend from Cincinnati. The clipping she mentions in the first paragraph wasn’t in the envelope; John must have filed it separately. The handwriting is sort of difficult to read and transcribe. The following is the June 6th 1967 letter transcribed into a digital text format with typing errors fixed: Dear John: Have a few minutes while I am waiting for ?... sending you a clipping on a story I had in Monday's paper, If I don't send them as I write them I will ? although it may not be of any interest to you. I was out late enough last night to look for ufos, but I don't think I could have seen one I was so tired. I had a school board meeting around 1 a.m. and when I finished it was 3:30 a.m. then a friend of mine from Cincinnati came along and wanted me to go to New York with her. She was going there to see her boy friend. She has a new [?. but I could never keep up with her or him, they will be drunk from the time she arrives until she leaves. It's not that I am against drinking I just like to be sober part of the time. They are two lonely people he lost his wife and she her husband and they have so much money they don't know what to do with it. I never take advantage of it as it would not get me one penny, but I always have been simple, I just hope she makes it there. Maxine said if one of the ufos offered to take me away I will say perhaps later, but not tonight and that is why she is going to shoot me. ? called me Friday and said he was asking his wife for a divorce, said he would let me know what she says, a plenty I am sure, because she had a good living. Mabel said if you ever come back to West Virginia again you can stay at their house, and she really means just what she says, if they didn't want you they wouldn't ask you. If anything actually happens, I will let you know. Please ? the ? writing I have taken so many notes ? Sincerely, Mary John, I will be sending you a good ufo story written by a Parkersburg man soon. M. H. A Letter from Mary Hyre, June 7, 1967 Mary continued to keep John informed on the sightings in Point Pleasant. This letter reports on a Mothman encounter and two UFO sightings. The following is the June 7th 1967 letter transcribed into a digital text format with typing errors fixed: June 7, 1967 Pt. Pleasant W.Va. Sunday Night Dear John: Well I think the monster has arrived back in Point Pleasant again. Four boys were on a camping out on Lewis Street (next to the Appalachian office) Friday night and at 3 a.m. they got up from something and saw this big gray thing that was about six or seven feet tall...It nearly frightened them out of their pants. They said it sounded like it flapped its wings about three times and then flew out of sight. The boy took off for home and sat up all night in one of the boys kitchens or rather from 3 a.m. on. My sister, Fay at New Haven said she and neighbor saw this bright light and a short distance from it was a blue and white light and they watched it move for a little while about 11:30 p.m. and it suddenly disappeared. The next day which was last Friday they said this plane came over their house and almost hit the tree tops and they could read on it "u.s. air force" other people have reported seeing air force planes flying low. I would think if they were on a flying mission they wouldn't be flying so low. I saw one coming back from Gallipolis. The other day I saw this strange plane, nothing like I had ever seen before, perhaps it was a u.s. air force plane. People report so much any more I would have to be two people to keep them checked out. Hope you are having success with sightings there. I also heard of another plane that is supposed to have fallen in the strip mines over back to Cheshire, but no one could ever find it. Perhaps they are ufo landings and they wouldn't check it out or at least I doubt if they looked very much. I shall keep you informed on the happenings, if I hear of them. Sincerely, Mary A Letter from Mary Hyre, June 9, 1967 This next letter from Mary Hyre is a bit more eventful, being devoted to an extended UFO sighting. The following is the June 9th 1967 letter transcribed into a digital text format with typing errors fixed: Point Pleasant June 9, 1967 Dear John: I am not worth a darn writing today everything I have written I have made a mistake, so I gave it up. It has been very hot here today and we could use some of that rain we had a few days ago. Tuesday night when I was taking Maxine home we saw two ufos and something different this time. She lives close to a big hill and we were driving out this street and I noticed something through the trees before us. I told Maxine that there was something unusual tree level on the hill over from us so we stopped in the street and there it was. It was round not like a star and orange in color at times and at at times it looked red, it was moved southeast then move back and would be little for a while then it would change color and get bigger. While watching it suddenly there was this very odd color blue light that flashed three times at us, then it disappeared and then again it showed up in another place and did that repeatedly for several time each time like a signal flash. Finally it moved southward again then went directly north the fastest thing I had ever seen in the sky. When the blue object left the red light disappeared dimly out of sight. I have seen green lights, but not the blue that color. I didn't have sense enough to flash my car lights, I guess you think later what you should have done. We watched them for at least 15 minutes and get out of the car to make sure that it was not a reflection, it seems that the thing wont stay away from Point Pleasant. I didn't write anything about it this time, although people want to know all over our reading area why I don't have something every day, I guess they think I can create something. Well I think I will get drunk, a guy just brought me a fifth that I won on a bet. I have one in the drawer that hasn't been opened. I told Maxine guess we should have to have a party. Will keep you posted on the sightings. Sincerely, Mary Sources: http://www.johnkeel.com/?p=2880 http://www.johnkeel.com/?p=2346 http://www.johnkeel.com/?p=2886 http://www.johnkeel.com/?p=2353 Category:History